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Omaha Beach – “Into the Jaws of Death (review)

I know I promised this review at the beginning of the month, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. This film score is heart-wrenching, sickening, and sadly beautiful at times. I didn’t like it at all the first few times I listened to it. I couldn’t handle the way it made me feel. Now that I’ve listened to it multiple times, and understand the story of Omaha Beach a lot better, I can appreciate this score for what it is; a heart-wrenching way to tell this story.

The first track, “H-Hour” opens up the score with a feeling of apprehension, but almost excitement. You can almost see the men in those ships, quivering in excitement and apprehension about what is about to take place.

“Seasick” comes in with a creepy feeling of being watched and quickly escalates into a track full of those first shots, before the men even made it off the boats.

“On the Beach” comes in slow, filled with deep, echoing booms. It escalates into, not a creepy track, but an intense one. There are some moments that descend into an eerie feeling, but it is more intense. It ends with what almost sounds like a melody to honor the fallen. It’s beautiful.

I don’t know if I can even talk about the next track. “Bloody Omaha” is exactly what it sounds like and I suggest that if you don’t want to have nightmares, skip this track. This track is sickening, intense, eerie, and heartbreaking. It tells the story amazingly well. I can see it all unfolding in front of my eyes.

“The Cliffs” is another intense track. This one is not as chaotic as “Bloody Omaha” and it is almost soothing comparatively. You can almost hear the machine-guns in some parts of this track and you almost hear the troops sneaking along the shore, hidden behind rocks. A melody comes in, which is very much welcome, near the end. It’s a good entrance into the next track.

“Troops Advance” is a determined track. I like it a lot, because there is, if not a sense of hope, a sense of not dying without a fight.

“Reinforcements” is where the hope comes in, but also a great sense of horror and sadness because of what these reinforcements see. I love this track, simply because it is a shining light of hope. This is where the battle turns.

The last track, “The Longest Day,” is sad, but full of hope and determination. I think it’s a good way to finish the score. It’s majestic and it fills me with a sense of wonder, sadness, and thankfulness. I am so glad that those brave men were willing to give up their lives for what they believed in.

Overall, this is probably the most sickening soundtrack I have ever listened too, but also one that told a sickening story in a wonderful way. I love the honesty in the tracks. I love the beauty and the elegance in the way Adam handled this story. It is not a score I would listen to for enjoyment, but one I will listen to when I need to listen to it. Who reads about D-day because it’s a fun story? No one (i hope). We read about D-day to remind ourselves of what other people gave up for our freedom and for what they believed in.